July Outlook: Fun In The Sun As Earnings Season Dawns And Corporate Forecasts Loom

July Outlook: Fun In The Sun As Earnings Season Dawns And Corporate Forecasts Loom

The old hockey adage goes, "Don't skate to where the puck is, skate to where you think it's going to be." That same phrase could apply to investors once earnings season gets going in July. It's not so much where the reporting companies have been or what they recently accomplished. Instead, both individual stocks and the market as a whole are more likely to move based on what firms say about the rest of the year. This could come in the form of official guidance, or more casually through comments on earnings calls. The things they say and forecast could end up having a lot of influence over how markets perform this coming month. Second half earnings projections likely take center stage once earnings season shifts into high gear in mid-July. The fun starts July 13 when JP Morgan Chase (JPM) becomes the first big bank to report, followed by its counterparts over the next few days. Other key early earnings reports that same week are expected to include PepsiCo (PEP), United Health (UNH), Delta Airlines (DAL), and Conagra (CAG). Of course, all the other Wall Street financial giants will display their latest results, including Goldman Sachs (GS), Citigroup (C),